POP UP CINEMA BRIGHTON

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POP UP CINEMA BRIGHTON
UPCOMING EVENTS
8.10PM TUESDAY APRIL 29TH
GENE HACKMAN TRIBUTE ​
THE FRENCH CONNECTION
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Winner of 5 Oscars including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor for the late great Gene Hackman (Unforgiven, Mississippi Burning, The Conversation, The Royal Tenenbaums) we pay tribute to this titan of the acting world at the peak of his powers. Extraordinarily directed by the also recently departed William Friedkin, the no-nonsense genius who also gave us classics like The Exorcist, The Boys In The Band, Cruising, To Live and Die in L.A. and Sorcerer, The French Connection is a landmark film featuring a towering performance from Hackman and the best car chase sequence ever committed to celluloid.
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When rough and tumble cop Jimmy 'Popeye' Doyle (Hackman) and his partner Buddy 'Cloudy' Russo (Roy Scheider - Jaws) stumble upon a narcotics ring in early 70s New York the obsessive Doyle sets about busting it up and taking down the smugglers bringing in heroine from Marseille. Realistic, fast-paced and uncommonly smart it ushered in a new gritty era of cinema that would lead to the greatest ever era of American films.
Repeatedly listed in the American film institutes top 100 movies of all time, this neo-noir masterpiece has influenced everyone from Akira Kurosawa to Steven Spielberg to David Fincher. Garnering more than 20+ major film awards (including the aforementioned 5 Oscars) The French Connection is a keystone of American cinematic culture and a big screen must for movie fans of all stripes, as well as being a fitting tribute to one of America's greatest all-time screen actors, Gene Hackman.

8.30PM FRIDAY MAY 9TH
IT IS STILL 1985 MOVIE CLUB ​
DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN
40TH ANNIVERSARY SCREENING
Celebrating 17 years of Brighton's favourite 80s party and the city's longest running weekly club night (Every Saturday at Green Door Store) 'It Is Still 1985' is marking both their own longevity and the fact that the year they are named after (1985) is now exactly 40 years ago by teaming up with us at White Wall Cinema to create a new movie club for 2025 that screens a selection of movies celebrating their 40th anniversary on a limited number of select dates across this year.
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A bonafide member of the first wave of American 80s-era independent filmmakers Susan Siedelman was just coming down from the success of her first film 'Smithereens' (the first American independent film to be selected for competition at Canne) a gritty and humorous look at New York's Bohemian post-punk music scene, when she stumbled upon her next film and truly captured pop culture lightning in a bottle. Against the studios wishes she refused a who's who list of stars lined up for the film's lead roles opting instead to cast two unknowns in the shape of Rosanna Arquette and Siedelman's neighbour at the time Madonna. Arquette of course would go on to be a major movie star (credits include Scorsese's After Hours, Besson's The Big Blue, Tarantino's Pulp Fiction and Cronenberg's Crash) but it was Madonna, still exuding the hyper cool of New York street fashion, cool in a way that only a newly minted popstar on the verge of mega-fame can be, that set audiences alight in 1985.
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Highly influenced by the madcap dual feminine energy of Jacques Rivette's Celine and Julie Go Boating, the film revolves around bored housewife Roberta (Arquette), who is envious of adventurous and cool stranger Susan (Madonna). Through mishap and happenstance, Roberta loses her memory and unknowingly takes on Susan's life in case of mistaken identity. Tons of fun, Siedelman's finger on the pulse street level approach of including countless New York artists, comedians and musicians, as well as an endless string of fresh faces of the city's acting scene including Laurie Metcalfe (Ladybird) John Tuturro (Do The Right Thing, The Big Lebowski), Giancarlo Esposito (Do The Right Thing, Breaking Bad) and Aidan Quinn (Legends of The Fall) Desperately Seeking Susan makes for a vibrant and joyous time capsule film that perfectly compliments Madonna's still fresh out of the box cool, which is palpable throughout, and would make a major impact on both pop culture and fashion through the film's huge box office success.
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An icon of the 80s showcased at the height of her cool with great cast in the beating heart of New York city of the era makes for thrilling viewing. Join us for this special screening of Desperately Seeking Susan either by buying tickets in the usual way, OR, amazingly, you can get free tickets to the event by attending any Saturday night It Is Still 1985 at Green Door Store between now and the film's screening. Simply claim them on entry.
8.10PM SUNDAY MAY 25TH
(AHEAD OF BANK HOLIDAY MONDAY)
VAL KILMER TRIBUTE ​
OLIVER STONE'S
THE DOORS
THE FINAL CUT - 4K REMASTER
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Please note. Doors for this event are 7pm when we will be starting the evening off early with drinks and a DJ playing a selection of mid 60s to early 70s tunes to get you in the mood in our beer garden.
Perhaps the most remarkable acting performance in a biopic in the history of cinema, the recently departed Val Kilmer truly embodies the legendary Doors frontman Jim Morrison in this sensational new cut and 4k remaster, from renowned director Oliver Stone.
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Already a voice of cinematic counter culture writing such scripts as Midnight Express and Scarface, as a director Stone would re-define Americas vision of itself through popular cinema, documenting key moments in the countries checkered history with films like Salvador, Platoon, Wall Street, Born on the Fourth of July, JFK, Natural Born Killers and more. The Doors sits right in the centre of this legendary run of cinematic masterpieces and and captures all sides of the mythology of a cultural icon who has perhaps more than anybody else come to define our understanding of the word ' rockstar'.
A true ode to the 60s and The Lizard King that sat atop it, this spectacularly entertaining kaleidoscopic journey through the era is underpinned by Kilmer's breathtakingly uncanny performance and aided by an exceptional supporting cast that includes Meg Ryan (When Harry Met Sally...), Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks, Blue Velvet) Frank Whaley (Field Of Dreams), Michael Madsen (Reservoir Dogs, Kill Bill 1&2), and even a real life rock star in Billy Idol.
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Spectacular concert scenes, brilliant production design recreations of legendary 60s locations and Stone's trademark lyrical version of history all add up to an intoxicating thrill-ride through the short but eventful life of Morrison that absolutely demands big screen viewing thanks to Stone's highly cinematic eye and Kilmer's astonishing performance.


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